Interstitial cystitis (IC), a type of bladder pain syndrome (BPS), is chronic pain in the bladder and pelvic floor of unknown cause. It is the urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome of women. Symptoms include feeling the need to urinate right away, needing to urinate often, and pain with sex. IC/BPS is associated with depression and lower quality of life. Many of those affected also have irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia.
The bladder is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. In humans, the bladder is a distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor. Urine enters the bladder via the ureters and exits via the urethra. The typical adult human bladder will hold between 300 and 500 ml before the urge to empty occurs, but can hold considerably more.
Pelvic lipomatosis is a rare disease that is most often seen in older obese black men with hypertension. In pelvic lipomatosis, abnormally dense deposits of otherwise apparently normal fat may be observed in the spaces of the pelvic area. It is associated with cystitis glandularis, a precursor to adenocarcinoma of the urinary bladder. It is associated with deposition of mature unencapsulated fat in the retroperitoneal pelvic space producing the typical "pear-shaped" appearance of the bladder on CT scan. This condition also causes a straightening and tubular appearance of the rectum.
The ureters are tubes made of smooth muscle that propel urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. In a human adult, the ureters are usually 20–30 cm (8–12 in) long and around 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) in diameter. The ureter is lined by urothelial cells, a type of transitional epithelium, and has an additional smooth muscle layer that assists with peristalsis in its lowest third.
Bladder cancer is any of several types of cancer arising from the tissues of the urinary bladder. Symptoms include blood in the urine, pain with urination, and low back pain. It is caused when epithelial cells that line the bladder become malignant.
Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which there is an abnormal (metaplastic) change in the mucosal cells lining the lower portion of the esophagus, from stratified squamous epithelium to simple columnar epithelium with interspersed goblet cells that are normally present only in the small intestine and large intestine. This change is considered to be a premalignant condition because it is associated with a high incidence of further transition to esophageal adenocarcinoma, an often-deadly cancer.
Hematuria or haematuria is defined as the presence of blood or red blood cells in the urine. "Gross hematuria" occurs when urine appears red, brown, or tea-colored due to the presence of blood. Hematuria may also be subtle and only detectable with a microscope or laboratory test. Blood that enters and mixes with the urine can come from any location within the urinary system, including the kidney, ureter, urinary bladder, urethra, and in men, the prostate. Common causes of hematuria include urinary tract infection (UTI), kidney stones, viral illness, trauma, bladder cancer, and exercise. These causes are grouped into glomerular and non-glomerular causes, depending on the involvement of the glomerulus of the kidney. But not all red urine is hematuria. Other substances such as certain medications and foods can cause urine to appear red. Menstruation in women may also cause the appearance of hematuria and may result in a positive urine dipstick test for hematuria. A urine dipstick test may also give an incorrect positive result for hematuria if there are other substances in the urine such as myoglobin, a protein excreted into urine during rhabdomyolysis. A positive urine dipstick test should be confirmed with microscopy, where hematuria is defined by three or more red blood cells per high power field. When hematuria is detected, a thorough history and physical examination with appropriate further evaluation can help determine the underlying cause.
Glomerulation refers to bladder hemorrhages which are thought to be associated with some types of interstitial cystitis (IC).
Metaplasia is the transformation of a cell type to another cell type. The change from one type of cell to another may be part of a normal maturation process, or caused by some sort of abnormal stimulus. In simplistic terms, it is as if the original cells are not robust enough to withstand their environment, so they transform into another cell type better suited to their environment. If the stimulus causing metaplasia is removed or ceases, tissues return to their normal pattern of differentiation. Metaplasia is not synonymous with dysplasia, and is not considered to be an actual cancer. It is also contrasted with heteroplasia, which is the spontaneous abnormal growth of cytologic and histologic elements. Today, metaplastic changes are usually considered to be an early phase of carcinogenesis, specifically for those with a history of cancers or who are known to be susceptible to carcinogenic changes. Metaplastic change is thus often viewed as a premalignant condition that requires immediate intervention, either surgical or medical, lest it lead to cancer via malignant transformation.
Transitional epithelium is a type of stratified epithelium. Transitional epithelium is a type of tissue that changes shape in response to stretching. The transitional epithelium usually appears cuboidal when relaxed and squamous when stretched. This tissue consists of multiple layers of epithelial cells which can contract and expand in order to adapt to the degree of distension needed. Transitional epithelium lines the organs of the urinary system and is known here as urothelium. The bladder, for example, has a need for great distension.
The International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O) is a domain-specific extension of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems for tumor diseases. This classification is widely used by cancer registries.
Transitional cell carcinoma, also called urothelial carcinoma, is a type of cancer that typically occurs in the urinary system. It is the most common type of bladder cancer and cancer of the ureter, urethra, and urachus. Symptoms of urothelial carcinoma in the bladder include hematuria. Diagnosis includes urine analysis and imaging of the urinary tract (cystoscopy). Transitional cell carcinomas arise from the transitional epithelium, a tissue lining the inner surface of these hollow organs. When the term "urothelial" is used, it specifically refers to a carcinoma of the urothelium, meaning a transitional cell carcinomas of the urinary system.
Urachal cancer is a very rare type of cancer arising from the urachus or its remnants. The disease might arise from metaplastic glandular epithelium or embryonic epithelial remnants originating from the cloaca region.
Signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) is a rare form of highly malignant adenocarcinoma that produces mucin. It is an epithelial malignancy characterized by the histologic appearance of signet ring cells.
Uroplakin-1a (UP1a) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the UPK1A gene.
Uroplakin-3a(UP3a) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the UPK3A gene.
Urologic diseases or conditions include urinary tract infections, kidney stones, bladder control problems, and prostate problems, among others. Some urologic conditions do not affect a person for that long and some are lifetime conditions. Kidney diseases are normally investigated and treated by nephrologists, while the specialty of urology deals with problems in the other organs. Gynecologists may deal with problems of incontinence in women.
Cystitis cystica is an uncommon chronic reactive inflammatory disease that is believed to be brought on by a tumor, calculi, infection, or obstruction of the urothelium. Cystitis glandularis is a proliferative progression of cystitis cystica that is distinguished by urothelial glandular metaplasia.
Eosinophilic cystitis is a rare type of interstitial cystitis first reported in 1960 by Edwin Brown. Eosinophilic cystitis has been linked to a number of etiological factors, including allergies, bladder tumors, trauma to the bladder, parasitic infections, and chemotherapy drugs, though the exact cause of the condition is still unknown. The antigen-antibody response is most likely the cause of eosinophilic cystitis. This results in the generation of different immunoglobulins, which activate eosinophils and start the inflammatory process.
A urethral diverticulum is a condition where the urethra or the periurethral glands push into the connective tissue layers (fascia) that surround it.
